AN ASSESSMENT OF GRADUATE

ENTREPRENEURSHIP SUPPORT –

WIELKOPOLSKA AND KUJAWSKO-

POMORSKIE, POLAND

Warsaw, Poland13 March 2014

David Halabiskydavid.halabisky@oecd.org

1. The Entrepreneurial University

2. The OECD review of Wielkopolska and Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Poland– Objectives – Method– Key findings– Recommendations

Presentation structure

1. Promotes the development of entrepreneurial mind sets and behaviours among students:– Offers teaching to prepare students to act entrepreneurially

– Supports business creation by students

– 51% of young people (aged 15-24) desire to be self-employed within the next 5 years but only 34% have taken part in a course or activity about entrepreneurship (Flash Eurobarometer, 2013).

2. Acts as a flexible, responsive organisation that is entrepreneurial itself and contributes to local development:– Has an entrepreneurial culture, leadership and incentives

– Supports knowledge exchange with local businesses and the community and commercialises university research

– Supports internationalisation through mobility and education

– Evaluates its progress

The Entrepreneurial University

HEInnovate tool

1. Leadership and governance

2. Organisational capacity,

people and incentives

3. Entrepreneurshi

pdevelopment

in teaching andlearning4. Pathways for

entrepreneurs

5. University – Business /external

relationships for knowledge exchange

6. The entrepreneurial university as an international

institution

7. Measuring the impact of the

entrepreneurial university

The Entrepreneurial University

1. Assess current practices in support for entrepreneurship in higher education in Wielkopolska/Kujawsko-Pomorskie, including:– Contents of entrepreneurship teaching and training

programmes.

– Practical business support offerings and linkages with external business development services and financial institutions.

– Governance of entrepreneurship skills provision.

2. Develop recommendations and international learning models at different levels:– Actions for higher education institutions to improve

entrepreneurship teaching and start-up support offerings.

– Policy measures that can be promoted by governments and development agencies at national and regional levels.

Objectives of Case Study Review

• One week study visit by international expert review team and OECD secretariat:– Poznań University of Economics

– Adam Mickiewicz University

– Poznań University of Technology

– Kazimierz Wielki University

– University of Technology and Life Science

– Nicolas Copernicus University

• Surveys of HEI leaders and students

• Workshop with stakeholders to discuss findings and recommendations

Project method

Results from surveys

Survey results: teaching methods used

• A wide variety of teaching methods used but there is room to use more “active” learning experiences such as business competitions and student start-ups.

Experience reports by start-ups

Learning formats to develop prototypes

Student business start-ups

Use of social media (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter)

Problem-based learning

Business games and simulations

Learning formats for generating business ideas

Entrepreneurs as guest speakers in classes

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18

Number of universitiesn = 18

Survey results: start-up support services offered

• Students have access to many support services.

Provision of financial resources by the university

Assistance with applications for public funding

Assistance finding co-founders

Contact with investors

Support for prototype development

Access to research results

Post start-up support

Assistance with business plan or start-up competitions

Referal to external support

Access to start-up networks

Mentoring by experienced entrepreneurs

Assistance with patents and intellectual property

Access to infrastructure

Assistance in preparing business plans

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

Number of universitiesn = 11

Survey results: Collaboration in delivering start-up support

• Universities work with many partners but entrepreneurs and alumni appear to be an under-exploited resource.

• There are few partnerships with potential investors.

Banks

Chamber(s) of trade/commerce/industry

Venture capitalists, business angels

National public administration

Other universities abroad

Managers and senior staff of large enterprises

Business consultants, tax advisors, lawyers

Alumni of your University

Entrepreneurs

Other universities in Poland

Municipal/local administration or development agency

Technology park(s), incubator(s)

Other local enterprise support organisations

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

Number of universitiesn = 11

Student survey results: Areas for improvement

• Access to finance is frequently identified as an area for improvement.

Assistance on patent issues

Facilitation of access to research results

Referral to non-university support organisations

Business mentoring

Help finding potential cofounders

Access to business founder networks

Links to investors (venture capital and business angels)

Post start-up support

Assistance during business plan preparation

Access to facilities (e.g. offices, rooms, labs)

Assistance with applications seeking public support

University provision of financial resources to start up a business

Assistance when preparing for business start up idea competitions

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50%

n = 121

1. Entrepreneurship education is growing in Poland but has yet to reach a broad base of students.

2. Passive teaching methods are used more frequently than active methods.

3. Many partners work with universities to support student start-up projects but students report difficulty accessing services.

4. The business community is an under-exploited resource for entrepreneurship education and start-up support.

Key conclusions

Key findings from case studies

1. Supportive policy environment:– Willingness to use EU Structural Funds to support entrepreneurship.

– National Qualifications Framework for Higher Education covers entrepreneurship.

– Universities are autonomous and can launch entrepreneurship initiatives.

– HEIs benefit from local entrepreneurship strategies (e.g. City of Bydgoszcz’s seven-year strategy ‘Academic Entrepreneurship’) and events (e.g. Poznan Academic Entrepreneurship Days).

2. Well-developed entrepreneurship ecosystem around HEIs and external stakeholders are valuable members of the university community:– Arms-length organisations (e.g. InQbator) have developed rapidly and

are using leading edge pedagogy (e.g. start-up projects, camping trips) and outreach (e.g. radio programmes, TV series).

3. Academic Incubators of Entrepreneurship provide a mechanism for mobilising entrepreneurship activities across all HEIs.

Findings on strengths

1. Entrepreneurship is not yet integrated throughout the whole university environment and is not a visible and integrated part of HEI strategies.

2. Entrepreneurship is not viewed as an academic discipline that is on par with the natural sciences:– There were no Chairs or Professors in Entrepreneurship.

3. Entrepreneurship teaching methods are passive and entrepreneurship teaching and trainers do not receive training.

4. Few students take entrepreneurship beyond introductory modules within other areas of study:– Only Poznań University of Economics offers an (elective)

entrepreneurship course which is taken by approximately 25% of students.

– Entrepreneurship teaching was often not available for students at the second and third cycle levels.

5. Start-up support systems vary in quality and students would benefit from more co-ordination with off-campus support.

Areas for improvement

Recommendations

1. Increase interest in entrepreneurship among HEI leadership and staff:

– Support leadership seminars to drive a change in mind-set of university leadership

– Organise conferences for students to increase bottom-up support for entrepreneurship

– Fund the implementation of HEI entrepreneurship strategies

2. Improve the quality of entrepreneurship teaching:

– Provide training for entrepreneurship professors and university staff

Using the ESF to improve support for entrepreneurship in HEIs

1. Legitimate entrepreneurship as an academic field:– Fund entrepreneurship research in Poland

– Fund participation in international research projects

– Create a national prize for entrepreneurship research

– Create entrepreneurship Professors and Chairs

– Re-think the tenure process

2. Leverage student organisations:– Fund student organisations, clubs and networks

– Ensure that students are included in entrepreneurship events

3. Use the business community in entrepreneurship teaching:– Involve entrepreneurs in the development and delivery of content

– Provide incentives for entrepreneurs to participate in projects and business competitions

Other possible actions